Worldview is on the road. Today, our show comes to you from Detroit, where we are broadcasting from Detroit’s public radio station, WDET. Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot announced an end to municipal water shutoffs in May, saying “Water is a basic human right. And when you cut somebody off from water, you’re effectively evicting them and putting them on the street … That is a heartless act.” In Detroit, activists are urging the city’s mayor Mike Duggan and the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, to enact similar measures, alongside implementing a plan to make water pricing more affordable for the city’s residents.

We stopped in Detroit to talk to Monica Lewis-Patrick, co-founder of the community-based grassroots organization We the People of Detroit. She joined today’s show to tell us more about her organizing around water issues and how they tie in to issues of civil rights and affordable housing. 

The Worldview bus tour is visiting communities throughout the Great Lakes region for a week as we celebrate the show’s twenty-fifth year on air. From water insecurity in Flint to indigenous rights in Kalamazoo, we are sharing stories that allow you to experience the world through the communities in your own backyard.